Frank and I attended an Easter service at our church last night. As we sat and waited for the service to begin, five men and two women entered the row in front of us. They were impeccably dressed, looking like young professionals who had dinner reservations in Buckhead Atlanta following church. One young man in particular looked around the large auditorium and said, “Wow!” It was in that moment that God prompted me to begin praying for him. I have no idea what his life story may be…but I am certain that God wanted me to pray…and I’m certain how He wanted me to pray. My prayer is that this man would know the hope that can only come through the hope of a risen Savior. I began to think how I would express this to him–how I would describe what hope in Christ means to me. As long as the thoughts flow, I want to write some of the ways…almost as a prayer for this young man.
Hope in the hospital.
I was born to a Christian mother and father. I spent my whole life in church, worked for a denomination, and earned a Masters of Divinity. But nothing in all my Christian journey has encouraged my faith as the days I spend as a hospital chaplain. For it is in those days that I see real faith in people who are experiencing real trials.
People like Ms. B, a 63 year-old African American female diagnosed with pancreatitis. As I entered the patient’s room, I found her lying on her side, writhing in pain. Ever-so-slightly, I could hear her speaking…and when I told her I was the chaplain…she tried her hardest to speak more loudly. “By His stripes, I have been healed.” “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord.” She continued to quote scripture as she winced and stopped for intense pain to pass. We had the most precious prayer together…but most assuredly, on that day, she was the one that blessed me.
Every week, I see people in the hospital who are not just “hanging on” to hope. They are legitimately embracing hope. Hope for healing, hope to see a loved one again in Heaven, hope for reconciliation, hope for a better life.
But, they aren’t just hoping…they are claiming the promises that come from a risen Savior.
I pray the young man God laid on my heart would know this kind of hope. Maybe not now…but someday…he will need it. We will all need it.
And by the grace of God…we can have it.
Featured photo: Foggy Easter morning, Tucker, Ga.
just thinking 
As my dear friend, Penny, claims as she faces her own battle with lung cancer, “HOPE is my four-letter word!” Yes, we claim HOPE in and through Jesus Christ our Lord! Thank you, sweet Janet, for your encouraging reminder. He is risen, indeed!